11 Conference Tips for Entrepreneurs

Finding success, as an entrepreneur, is largely dependent on your network. Relationships help you find employees and advisors, raise funds, and develop partnerships. There’s no better way to create relationships than by attending conferences.

To maximize your conference experiences, tap into these tips:

Prepare: Aimlessly meandering through a sea of people usually nets very few meaningful interactions. Before you arrive, be sure to do your research. Search the conference Twitter hashtag, and find the conference directory. Which industry leaders are attending? Who should you make sure to meet? Which speakers would be complementary to your business? The more you prepare, the more you’ll receive.

Connect on SM: Once you know who’s attending, pick a handful to follow on Twitter and tweet at them with a specialized message related to the conference. This provides a nearly cocktail-party-introduction environment before the conference even starts. Note: please don’t send the same damn tweet to every conference attendee in rapid-fire succession. That’s called spamming, and it will help you gain an unwanted reputation before you even arrive.

Rekindle: Conferences provide an excellent environment to rekindle old relationships. Once you figure out who’s attending, set up dinners or special opportunities to meet up. These people become your “anchor” relationships at the conference, giving you plenty of people to introduce to your new acquaintances.

Introduce Naturally: Know that awkward feeling when you walk up to a group of people you don’t know and introduce yourself? Avoid it by breaking into the group with a very specific question. Make it something like, “Are you having trouble with the Wi-Fi?” or “Do any of you know where the cocktail hour is tonight?” Once you get an answer or two, introduce yourself and you’re in.

One-Liners Matter: There are two questions you will constantly be asked: 1) where do you live?, and 2) what do you do? The first question is simple enough. The second question will determine which “box” you’re put in, immediately categorizing you as either “forgettable” or “noteworthy.” Explain your business in the simplest terms, with one or two impressive facts, such as awards won, number of employees, big-name clients, or growth rates. This gives them a reference point, without making you look like a self-obsessed megalomaniac.

Participate on SM: Traditionally, everyone sat quietly in a room, listened, and took notes. Now, social media provides an opportunity to actively participate. Using the conference hashtag, you can see what others are saying and participate in the conversation with your own thoughts. This provides you with an excellent opportunity to start forming relationships that can be strengthened at the cocktail parties or in between sessions.

Don’t Sell: There’s nothing more unappealing than the guy who’s “working the room.” Even though everyone is there to form new relationships, the more overtly you look like a business card slinger, the more you’ll be relegated to the “avoid at all costs” section. In fact, selling at a conference is mostly about asking questions. As a rule, if you’re talking more than 30% of the time, you’re talking too much.

Exit Gracefully: At some point, even the best conversations lose steam. Instead of awkwardly cutting it off, use this: “I know your time is valuable, and you’ve got other people to talk to, so I’ll let you go. It was really great chatting with you.” This A) makes them feel important, B) lets them know you respect them, and C) makes you appear thoughtful.

Party: The best relationships are formed at night. Liquid relaxation has kicked in, and everyone has shared experiences to discuss. Maximize this time. Go to the cocktail parties. Host your own dinners. Hustle back to the lobby bar. If you’re not a night owl (like me), it’s better to sleep in the next morning and skip a few lectures than to miss the evening festivities.

Categorize and Follow Up: Each night, you’ll find yourself with a pile of business cards. Take 10 minutes to go through each one and write down a few facts that will give you context later. After the conference, email these contacts with a customized “great to meet you” note and connect with them on LinkedIn. If you really want to keep in touch with them, add them to the Twitter list you actually follow.

Can’t Go? Live Stream: Most conferences these days have free or heavily discounted online live streaming. Just because you can’t make it to the actual event doesn’t mean you can’t participate. Remember those people tweeting during the presentations? Search the conference hashtag and participate with them while watching the live stream. It’s not quite like being there, but it’s the next best thing.

Do you have a few conference tips I missed? Share them below; I’ll amend the article later with the best ones, attributing them to you.

Brent Beshoreis the founder and CEO of adventur.es (#28 on 2011 Inc. 500), which identifies problems to tackle and looks for those who share their passion to create change.He is also a venture partner at Gen Y Capital, a regular contributor to Forbes, Huffington Post, and Washington Post, and a runner-up in the 2011 VH1 Do Something Awards (lost to Lady Gaga) for his work in helping his hometown of Joplin, MO recover from the devastating tornado. Connect with Brent on Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

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